


That's an Order

by Howlingdawn



Series: Whumptober 2019 [6]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Crew as Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Star Trek Beyond, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 00:09:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21065492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/pseuds/Howlingdawn
Summary: His decision to leave the Enterprise has been weighing pretty heavily on Jim. Bones and an unconscious Spock offer a pretty convincing reason to change his mind.





	That's an Order

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Whumptober Day 17 - "Stay with me"
> 
> I've wanted to write something for the immediate aftermath of Spock's healing for 3 years, it's a RELIEF to finally find the proper inspiration for it

“All right, that’s all I can do,” Bones said, switching off the protoplaser. He sat back, dumping it on the table. “I just hope it’s enough.”

Spock had lost consciousness at some point during the treatment. Jim sat next to him, his hand squeezing his shoulder, and he wasn’t sure he could pry himself away. Getting Spock back after a day of not knowing if he had survived only for him to collapse in his arms… Out of everything he’d been through, that moment might’ve been one of the most terrifying moments of his life.

Bones glanced at the contact. “It’s probably best that someone stays with him. I wanna check on the others, so it should probably be you.”

Jim nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, that’s- that’s a good idea.”

Bones went to scrub a hand across his face, looked at the green blood staining it, and settled for standing up with a groan. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out for a while.” He clasped Jim’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine, though.”

Jim looked up at him. “You didn’t sound so sure of that a second ago.”

“I wasn’t. Then I remembered that you’re with him.” A smile crossed his face that was some weird mixture of wry and warm. “Just give him an order; he’d crawl out of the depths of hell if you told him to.”

Jim huffed a laugh. “He’d do that for any commanding officer, you know.”

“Nah,” Bones said, giving his shoulder a pat before walking out. “You’re his best friend, Jim. That makes you _the _captain for him. The one he would do anything and everything for.”

“You’re just annoyed he doesn’t listen to you,” Jim called after him, a half-hearted joke. “And let someone take a look at your head!”

Bones waved a dismissive hand and disappeared around the corner.

Jim looked back at Spock. _That makes you _the _captain for him._

_Am I really that important? _he wondered. He and Spock would die for each other – that much was a given. But for people like them, people who had lost so much, finding people to die for was simple. Finding someone to _live _for, someone worth clawing their way out of any and all of the pain and darkness they ever had and ever would have to go through… That was significantly harder. _Does that make me leaving selfish? Stupid? Illogical? All of the above?_

Spock slept on, unaware of Jim’s latest conundrum. “Look at you. Even out cold, you make me think about the morality of everything. Can’t you give me one break?”

He didn’t answer, but Jim knew exactly what he would say if he could.

He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. “All right, I get it, so you’d better stay with me, Spock. That’s an order.”

_Stay with me, and I’ll stay with you._

Maybe he imagined it, but Jim could swear Spock’s breathing got a little stronger. A little stronger and a little steadier.


End file.
